I've encountered it three times in the past year from European tourists. They are afraid to travel into America's heartland.
Take it, leave it, etc.
Just wondering, do you really think Europeans are being fed an accurate picture of the "red states"?
I once was travelling in Europe and expressed a profound distaste for a particular city I had never visited. The Europeans around me were surprised and queried me on my opinion---to which I rattled off a list of things I'd seen/read including crime and so on. They were aghast! They assured me that that was all a bunch of hooey. And I did go to the city and found that they were correct.
But I was 17 years old at the time. I'd wager your "European tourists" are a little more saavy than I was at the time?